


fill the empty

by icarusian



Category: Promare (2019)
Genre: Fluff and Angst, LioGalo Secret Santa 2019, M/M, Post-Canon, Roleswap, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-06
Updated: 2020-02-06
Packaged: 2021-02-28 06:14:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22589242
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/icarusian/pseuds/icarusian
Summary: “What, have you never seen falling snow before?”“It used to melt before it got too close.”-No one really talks about all the little things you miss out on as a Burnish— cooking with the proper temperatures, enjoying the comfort of blankets, the feeling of being drunk— but Galo thinks he missed the feeling of snow the most.
Relationships: Lio Fotia/Galo Thymos
Comments: 4
Kudos: 59





	fill the empty

**Author's Note:**

  * For [UkieS](https://archiveofourown.org/users/UkieS/gifts).



> UKIE!!! i know im the worst for having this out so late but i promise i did not give up... you did such an amazing job on my gift that i wanted to make sure i put my all into this. im not used to writing sfw so please bear with me, my love.
> 
> you asked for: fluff, angst, and au, with a little extra love for roleswap and post-canon so i hope you like burning rescue lio and ex-burnish galo!
> 
> title from siberia by lights

“Where are you taking me?” Lio calls from behind, voice muffled in the beating wind.

“Did you ask Santa to spoil all your surprises?” Galo calls back, revving the engine.

“Does Santa ride a flashy motorcycle, too?”

“Touche!”

Leave it to Galo, king of showmanship and master of all things needlessly flashy, to plan some grand gesture for their first Christmas together. Lio didn’t know how to deal with the spotlight at first; he’d rather save the world ten times over than deal with another media firestorm post-almost-apocalypse. He’d always done his job as a firefighter and remained content at the end of the day, his work satisfactory in itself. Blazes of glory never compared to floods of relieved tears.

Despite all that, Lio still clutches the fond memory of their first official date close to his chest— Galo dressed to the nines in his inky windbreaker, hair tamed into something more fitting of a well-bred suitor than a troublemaking wildcard, haughty grin plastered to his face the moment he set Lio’s heart-shaped rose bouquet up in flames. Yes, Gueira had to soak him in fire retardant immediately, but it’s the thought that counts.

Lio holds on tighter, soft smile stuck to his face as he takes in the passing scenery, the smattering of traffic seemingly parting for Galo’s motorcycle as if the road is his red carpet.

The further into the evening they ride, the more solemn and isolated it gets, nothing like the bright cityscape Lio was initially expecting. The heavy beams of moonlight start to outweigh orange and yellow streetlights, the snow surrounding the salted roads lighting their path as they go. He starts feeling conscious of what they’re wearing, how underdressed Galo seemed when he picked Lio up. If Galo wasn’t taking him to the upper class community just north of Promepolis to spend their first winter together in style, then where—?

Galo slows, and Lio thinks this is almost definitely the first time they’ve gone under the speed limit without stopping completely. Galo pulls in to a worn offshoot, flaked evergreens lining the path that shroud them as they get closer and closer to their unknown destination. He trusts Galo enough to not fear for his life, but at this point he’s not sure what to expect. He parks a little ways down the path and hops off, smile infectious as he looks around them in wonder.

“We’re almost there,” he says, softly, as if he’s scared to disrupt the stillness they’ve entered. He’s never heard Galo be this quiet, not even when he sleeps. The gentleness with which he takes Lio by the hand is unprecedented, gloved fingers intertwined like a warm knit scarf. This is a new side of the reckless and overconfident man he’s come to care for, and it’s jarring in a way that brings heat to his frozen cheeks.

“Lead the way,” Lio responds, just as hushed.

They walk in silence, Galo tugging them along with a sort of childish excitement. The only thing Lio can think of that would be this deep into the wooded outskirts of Promepolis is maybe a treehouse, or an untouched snowbank for them to play in. Eventually the trees part, a small, serene clearing coming into view, and Lio startles when Galo jerks them forward with a tight tug.

But instead of a snowbank, or a hideout, or anything else he could have expected, Galo brings them to—

“Oh,” Lio breathes, taking in the vast manmade lake where they began their incredible journey together. It’s frozen over again, thick miles of ice back in place, and Lio feels his heart seize in tandem with the giddy squeeze Galo gives their hands.

It started here long before Deus Ex Machina; their first real taste of understanding, Lio crudely hogtied in in the corner of a cave, Galo sharing life itself with someone he didn’t know but loved all the same.

Galo turns to him, eyes shimmering brighter than the opalescent reflection of the lake, and—

God, that smile. Lio knows it like the back of his hand, always so cocksure and daring, a permanent challenge affixed to his demeanor. That’s why he can feel the awe on his own features when Galo faces him, this smile something softer and more sincere. It’s toothy, slightly agape, breath pumping out of him like it’s a rush to just be standing here. Lio feels like he’s going to faint if he gets suckerpunched like this anymore tonight.

Lio snaps himself out of his reverie, hand gripping Galo’s for dear life and mouth opening to say something, anything to satisfy the welling feelings in his heart, but he ends up flinching at something cold and wet landing on his eyelash.

“Is it really snowing?” And Lio is taken aback at just how _small_ Galo sounds.

“What, have you never seen falling snow before?” Lio teases, voice wavering only a little.

Galo doesn’t answer, doesn’t even seem to register him. Lio watches, shocked, as the man who’s always so strong and sturdy as a statue just crumbles to his knees, relieved smile plastered to his skyward face. Lio might mistake him for one too if he happened to stumble upon Galo like this.

Lio suddenly isn’t sure of himself; can he encroach on this moment of serenity? Is he allowed to see Galo at his most vulnerable? The rational part of his brain is slow on the uptake, momentarily blinded by Galo’s vibrancy, but it this place— this _moment_ — is special for _them_.

He sits on the cold ground next to Galo and faces the falling flakes, a mirror image of each other.

“It used to melt before it got too close.” It’s delayed, but it’s an answer.

“Probably because you were too hot,” Lio answers easily, leaning his cheek on Galo’s shoulder. Of course something so fragile and fleeting like snow would be scared of the bright might of the sun. Even without his flame Galo manages to draw people in, everyone he meets hopelessly stricken like Icarus.

“You sayin’ I’m not hot now?” Galo teases quietly, resting his head on Lio’s.

“I’m not answering that,” Lio laughs, ignoring the cold on his ass in favor of the warmth in his hand. Galo scoffs indignantly, but doesn’t do much else, gaze still fixed high in the sky.

“Do you miss it?” It’s in the air between them, but the solemnity isn’t heavy.

“Everyday.” Serious isn’t a normal face for Galo, but it’s not unwelcome. The trust that comes with this level of vulnerability and openness is so stark compared to how often he puts up a front. But here, alone with Galo at his favorite place on earth, there’s no one to impress. “It’s really easy to pretend I still have that fire inside me, though,” he follows up thoughtfully.

“Acid reflux?”

“Nah. Something way hotter.” Galo squeezes his fingers, and Lio’s cheeks burn bright.

“I hope you’re not talking about me, sunshine,” Lio teases, finally giving his poor butt-sicle a break and standing up. He saunters towards the solid ice of the lake without looking back, but he grins to himself when he hears Galo scramble up and follow him over with hurried steps. Galo hurriedly leads him onto the ice in a mock ballroom dance, movements sweeping and always trailing behind when Lio goes solo. He’s never really heard of the sun following Icarus, but he’ll take it.

**Author's Note:**

> special thanks to my server, mad horny, for helping me out with brainstorming, and to vi for acting as the most encouraging beta and friend in my life. i love you all!
> 
> find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/icarosian) if you wanna chat! im finally done with zine work (for now) so i can finally...... get back... to my personal projects...


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